“DDOT Urges Nationals Fans to Plan Ahead for Game 5”

“Due to the decision by WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld to keep Metro closed at its regular time tonight, the District of Columbia is stepping up to provide alternative transit options in preparation for game five of the National League Division Series between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers and encouraging creative, resilient Nationals fans* to plan ahead for their return trips.

Below are transportation options from Nationals Park.

DC Circulator

The DC Circulator will offer Special Service Thursday, October 13, on the Union Station-Navy Yard route. Service ends at 1 am.

DC Circulator provides an alternative to taking the Metrorail Green Line to and from the ballpark and connects with Metrorail’s Red Line, MARC, Amtrak, and Intercity Buses at Union Station and Metrorail’s Orange, Blue and Silver lines at Eastern Market station. For more information, visit DC Circulator.

Capital Bikeshare

Capital Bikeshare Corral Service will be available at the 1st Street and N Street, SE, station. The service will begin one hour before game time and conclude 30 minutes after the game is over.

The nearest Capital Bikeshare stations to the stadium are located at the following:

Bike Stations
There are more than 250 bike racks around the ballpark and Nationals Park offers a free bike valet located in Garage C at the corner of N Street, SE and 1st Street, SE. The valet will be accepting bikes two hours before game time and will close one hour after the game is over.

For-Hire Vehicle/Ridesharing (e.g. Uber and Lyft) Drop Off and Pick Up

New Jersey Avenue, SE between M Street, SE and Tingey Street SE.

L Street SE between Half Street, SE and Cushing Place, SE

1st Street between L Street, SE and M Street, SE

Taxi Stand

M Street, SE, west of Half Street, SE.

Metrorail/Metrobuses
Take the Green Line to the Navy Yard Station, which is half a block away from the ballpark. There are three main transfer stations to the Green Line: Gallery Place/Chinatown, L’Enfant Plaza and Fort Totten. Orange, Blue and Silver Line customers may take these trains to Eastern Market and transfer to the DC Circulator Navy Yard route for an additional $0.50. Alternatively, Orange, Blue and Silver Line customers can walk to National Park from the Capital South station, a distance of approximately 8/10 of a mile.

Metrorail users should note that the last trains from the Navy Yard Station are 11:39 pm northbound and 12:17 am southbound.

The V4 and P6 Metrobus routes serve the ballpark outside of rush hour. For more information, visit wmata.com.

Driving/Parking
Fans who plan to drive to the game are encouraged to carpool and to visit the Nationals’ website for information about parking lots. Heavy traffic and delays are expected around the ballpark and on busy routes such as I-295, I-695, I-395, and the Southeast/Southwest Freeway. Construction on the Capitol Crossing Project in the Third Street Tunnel will cause some delays. Drivers can also expect significant congestion at the intersection of South Capitol and M Streets, SE.

The following streets adjacent to the ballpark will be closed three hours before the start of each home game and may remain closed up to three hours after a game ends:

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will deploy additional staff and extend operations. DDOT will mobilize its Traffic Management Center to monitor traffic flow around the ballpark. Traffic signal technicians will be on duty to adjust signals as necessary to ease congestion. More than 40 Traffic Control Officers and Safety Technicians will be deployed at key intersections before and after the game, and additional signage will direct fans to Taxi stands and Vehicle for Hire locations.

Post-Game Traffic Pattern Changes

Half Street, SE will be made one way southbound between L Street and M Street

No left turn at 1st and M streets

No left turn at New Jersey and M streets

Fans are reminded to drive with caution in the area and to follow the directions of traffic officers.

Motorists are also reminded to pay close attention to the parking signs, particularly on residential streets in the neighborhoods around the ballpark. On many blocks, parking is reserved for residents only on one side of the street, and limited to two-hour parking for non-residents on the other side. Parking will be enforced and baseball fans are asked to avoid parking in the neighborhoods.”

why couldn’t they just keep it open….get ready for a disaster…it was crazy enough game 1 with metro running after the game.

Anon

This is going to be an absolute mess and certainly more dangerous forcing everyone on the roads, than keeping an already running metro open for an additional hour.

Anonymous

Disaster? Like people walking the sidewalks on a balmy fall night until they are able to find an Uber? Which 99.9% of the yuppies buying expensive playoff tickets can afford. And no, the “but the poor stadium workers” excuse is just a ploy. Many of them drive and carpool.
Quelle horreur!

Brooklyn Brawler

+1,000 I’ve been saying this all week. The fans that can afford a playoff ticket to the stadium are not worried about not having travel options after.

kanon

NPR said this morning that the Nats made transportation arrangements for their employees.

Anonymous

I hadn’t heard this until now but I am very happy to hear that the team is doing the right thing, at least for those who have to work at the game tonight.

CHGal

I’m glad they put out a press release telling you to plan ahead THE DAY OF THE GAME. Seriously? Also, what’s with the Nationals fans* in the first paragraph?

shmoo

it has been pretty well reported that the DC metro no longer operates after midnight on weekdays for quite some time now.

kanon

+10000. This issue has been raised ever since the Nats made the playoffs, weeks ago. It wasn’t an issue previously because of earlier games. And, the Post has been reporting on it for days.

Truxton Thomas

I believe this is a release from DDOT following a decision from WMATA, so there might have been some uncertainty about whether WMATA would in fact keep Metro open late. It actually seems like a good gesture on DDOT’s part.

rctran

DDOT throwing in some shade: *Dodgers fans will also be permitted to utilize these options.

Chris

Well, to be somewhat fair to metro, the Nationals have never stepped up to pay for late service the way the other local teams have. That part is on the Nats. But I do get the concern from WMATA about exceptions…where will it end once they start, and then setback the already behind schedule safetrack. Beyond that, since this is the only game why couldn’t the team or city work with the TV station to move the game earlier. That’s why the game is at 8pm – because of the TV contract. Lots of blame to go around.

dcd

It’s MLB that sets the schedule for the postseason, not the Nationals.

Chris

MLB and the TV stations. It’s all about advertising dollars. The Nats could have asked MLB to move the game earlier. They didn’t.

Truxton Thomas

It was the only playoff game yesterday. Nothing was going to stop it from airing on prime time.

CHGal

From WMATA at 5:09 – Green Line: Expect delays to Branch Avenue due to a disabled train at College Park.

And so it begins…

lizcolleena

I will never cheer for the greedy-AF Nationals. They literally take millions from nonprofits.

Anonymous

Wiedefeld should open the Metro only if the Lerner family takes the train to and from tonight’s game with the rest of the plebes.

Ashy Oldlady

I was there till the bitter end, and it looked like the vast majority of fans drove to the game. Some lots and garages were sold out with pre-sales, and almost nobody left early to take Metro. There were loud, angry chants of “Metro Sucks!” after last train times were announced.